{"id":3987052,"url":"https://alion.io/job/next-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc","title":"Group Finance Manager: Data, Automation & Analytics - FTC","company":{"id":1758752,"name":"Next","domain":"next.co.uk","url":"https://alion.io/company/next-co-uk","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Oracle","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":100,"open_postings":28,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.107,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":15,"computed_at":"2026-11-10T06:52:35Z"}},"role":"Finance","role_family":"Finance","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Leicester, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Databricks","optional":false},{"name":"Power BI","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"SQL","optional":false},{"name":"Copilot","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-09T13:55:54Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-09","last_verified_at":"2026-11-10T18:56:38Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"The Role\nNEXT has an exciting opportunity for an experienced, delivery-focused finance and data leader to join our Group Finance team as Group Finance Manager - Data, Automation & Analytics for a 9 month fixed-term contract based in our Leicestershire Head Office.\nReporting directly to the Group Financial Controller, you will accelerate how Group Finance leverages data, automation, and modern analytics tooling to streamline operations. This is a hands-on role focused on executing key automation priorities-such as our monthly management accounts and external reporting back-ups-while refining our data pipelines across Power BI and Databricks.\nYou will balance innovation with strong financial controls, delivering measurable efficiencies and establishing best-practice data governance for the permanent team to build on.\nWhat You Will Take On\nAccelerate Process Automation: Lead the end-to-end automation of core reporting cycles, specifically focusing on the monthly management accounts and external reporting schedules.\nModernise Reporting Pipelines: Build on our existing Databricks and Power BI foundations to transition manual spreadsheets into automated, resilient, and forward-looking data models.\nFinance Process Optimisation: Review and streamline existing finance workflows prior to automation, ensuring we eliminate inefficiencies rather than automating broken processes.\nStrengthen Data Controls & Governance: Partner with stakeholders across the finance and tech team to ensure financial datasets within the analytics environment remain secure, reconciled, audited, and strictly governed.\nLead & Mentor the Team: Provide day-to-day direction and coaching to our existing Group finance team.\nStakeholder Translation: Act as the strategic bridge between Group Finance, IT/Data Engineering and operational leaders, communicating technical solutions in clear commercial terms.\nWhat You Will Bring\nEssential Experience & Capabilities:\nProven track record leading finance change, automation or analytics initiatives within a complex, large corporate environment.\nDeep practical knowledge of modern reporting and data environments, specifically Power BI and Databricks.\nWorking technical proficiency in data manipulation and modelling languages (strong SQL and DAX; working knowledge of Python).\nStrong background in core finance cycles (financial reporting, management accounts, internal controls).\nProven ability to re-engineer manual processes, establish robust reconciliation frameworks, and mitigate operational risk.\nOutstanding stakeholder management: confident in challenging established workflows and translating complex technical concepts into business value.\nDesirable:\nRecognised accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or equivalent finance background.\nExperience with RPA platforms or practical application of emerging AI/copilot tools in finance.\nThis is an opportunity to shape the future of our Group Finance team through data, automation and AI - not simply manage what exists today.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3017,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Apparel & Fashion Brands","Home Decor","Children's Clothing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-09T21:57:44Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"GB","licensed_sponsor":true,"adverts_offering_sponsorship_24m":0,"sanctioned_now":false,"evidence":"Licensed UK visa sponsor (Skilled Worker)","filings_12m":null,"filings_prev_12m":null,"green_card_filings_12m":null,"median_offered_wage_usd":null,"route":"Skilled Worker","cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-10T11:34:35+00:00","sources":["UK Home Office: register of licensed sponsors (workers)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":15,"reasons":["conf:2","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-10T06:52:35Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/next-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/next-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-10T21:55:05Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":394,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-11T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1758752},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1758752"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fnext-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fnext-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fnext-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/next-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fnext-group-finance-manager-data-automation-analytics-ftc"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3987052}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"next.co.uk","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3987052},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); 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